Mandarin Orange Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing
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This light, flavorful Mandarin Orange Salad includes spinach, dried cranberries, almonds, feta or goat cheese, and mandarin oranges and pairs perfectly with our creamy Citrus Salad Dressing. Serve on special occasions or on any weeknight!
What I Love About This Salad
- Simple yet beautiful, delicious ingredients. Sweet, tangy, crunchy, creamy–it’s got all the mouth feels.
- The dressing is just about perfect in my estimation–citrusy, light, yet creamy-tasting. Pairs perfectly with the spinach salad.
- Top with Baked Chicken Tenders, Lemon Garlic Salmon, or Crispy Chicken Cutlets for a satisfying and healthy main dish.
- This nutritious salad is full of antioxidants!
Ingredients Needed
Here are the fresh, colorful ingredients you’ll need for this salad and it’s perfect dressing…
How to Make Creamy Citrus Dressing
Pour all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close lid tightly, and shake until combined (or whisk everything together in a bowl). Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
How to Make Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad
In a large salad bowl or platter, either layer or toss the spinach, orange segments, crumbled cheese, sliced almonds, and cranberries. Either toss the salad with half the dressing and eat immediately (note: it doesn’t last long after tossing with the dressing!), and/or set out the dressing alongside the salad when serving.
What to Serve This Salad With
FAQs
Yes, Mandarin orange salad can be prepared ahead of time by keeping the salad greens and toppings separate from the dressing. This helps prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
Yes, there is no gluten in the salad or the dressing.
Mandarin orange salad can typically be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days as long as you leave off the dressing, although it’s best enjoyed fresh. Keep the salad covered or in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
More Amazing Salad Recipes
If you like this salad, I think you’ll love these other popular ones too.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Summer Strawberry Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing
- Autumn Chopped Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- My Favorite Cobb Salad
- Wilted Lettuce Salad – Delicious, easy way to use up garden greens!
How to Video
Mandarin Orange Salad with Creamy Citrus Dressing
Ingredients
Creamy Citrus Dressing:
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad:
- 8 cups baby spinach leaves (loosely packed; roughly chop if leaves are big)
- 1/2 cup mandarin orange segments (drained)
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds (toasted; sub: pecans)
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- For the Dressing: Pour all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, close lid tightly, and shake until combined (or whisk everything together in a bowl). Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
- For the Salad: In a large salad bowl or platter, either layer or toss the spinach, orange segments, crumbled cheese, sliced almonds, and cranberries. Set out the dressing alongside the salad when serving.
Notes/Tips
- I’d recommend serving the dressing on the side or eating immediately after dressing the salad. It won’t last long after tossing with the dressing, because the citrus begins to break down the spinach.
- Spring mix greens are a good replacement for the spinach.
- I prefer to cut the little mandarin orange segments in half, but you can leave them whole.
Nutrition
Photos and video by Whitney Reist from Sweet Cayenne.
I just recently found your website and have been excited to try your recipes. I made this salad for dinner last night and we really enjoyed it!! It was not hard to make and tasted so good!
So glad you found us Susan! And we’re glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Made this – it was DELICIOUS!!!
Glad you enjoyed this Melissa! Thanks for leaving a review.
Made this for a Christmas potluck. Bowl was empty by the time it was time to go home. (Double batch!) This was delicious!
Glad to hear it was a potluck winner Melissa! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
So yummy. I bought a lemon citrus dressing but I love how fresh this salad was!
So glad you loved this Sarah! It’s amazing how easy it is to make salad dressing at home. Thanks for leaving a review.
Delicious!!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Susan! Thanks for leaving a review.
Perfect salad! Added some chicken to make it a meal. Creamy, crunchy, tangy and sweet
That sounds like a delicious meal Julie! Thanks for the suggestion.
I have tried and love many of your delicious salad recipes, but this one stands out for it’s ease and simplicity. The citrus dressing is a perfect compliment and really makes this salad shine. I never noticed the mandarin orange segments in the recipe until today and don’t see them mentioned above. Were they added in recently? I may try that for a different twist next time, but the salad stands well on its own without them. Thanks!
Hi Ann. Good eye! We are actually in the process of updating and getting new photos for this salad. We added the mandarin orange segments recently and will be adding photos that show that sometime soon. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Oh! I needed this last night and I’m just reading it today! LOL I literally threw together some spinach and cranberries and almonds last night and tried to whip up a quick vinagrette but it turned out wayyyyy too tangy. Rachel to the rescue! Thanks!
Darn! Well, I hope this one fits the bill next time, Martha.
Yummmm this sounds amazing!I am such a huge fan of cranberries in salads! Great post! š
Xoxo Annie
http://www.somethingswellblog.com/
Thanks Annie!